May 21, 2010

Terminalia is a genus of large trees of the flowering plant family, Combretaceae, comprising around 100 species distributed in tropical regions of the world. This genus gets its name from Latin word "terminus", referring to the fact that the leaves appear at the very tips of the shoots. The species of this genus are especially known as a source of flavonoids, tannins, and other aromatics. Some of these substances have antifungal, antibacterial, anti-cancer and hepatoprotective properties. Terminalia australis is a deciduous 7-8 m high tree with a wide canopy, ramified from the base, flexible branches and branchlets, and yellow wood. Leaves are light green in color, alternate, elliptical-lanceolate, 4-7 cm long by 1 cm wide; cuneate at the base, glabrous on the upper side, sometimes pubescent on the under side (especially when they are young). Flowers are unisexual, apetalous, greenish and small; 5 mm long, with a bell-shaped calyx, arranged in axillary clusters on 2-5 cm long peduncles. Male flowers have 10 stamens, 2 or 3 times longer than the calyx. Female flowers feature a pistil with a fairly elongated style. The fruit is reddish or green, ovoid-complanate, 2-3 cm long, with a mid-rib visible along its length, single-seeded and ripens in summer. Its wood is finely textured, homogeneous, and moderately heavy (relative density = 0.65). It is used for ornamental and precision works, such as chess pieces, rulers, buttons, etc. Flowering occurs in summer. Propagation can be achieved by seeds. Terminalia australis commonly grows in the basins of the Uruguay and Paraná rivers around the Argentine Mesopotamia, Uruguay, Paraguay, and part of the Rio de la Plata region.

Why bilingual? For starters, Spanish is my native tongue. Secondly, English is still the universal language and the blog is meant to be accessible for anyone on the globe who is into Nature conservancy; particularly in getting to know Uruguay's flora and fauna.

"Hunting is merely a cowardly circumlocution for the cowardy murder of fellow creatures who do not have a chance. Hunting is a variant of human mental illness" Theodore Heuss (First president of the Republic of Germany; 1884-1963)

"When I was twelve, I went hunting with my father and we shot a bird. He was laying there and something struck me. Why do we call this fun to kill this creature who was as happy as I was when I woke up this morning?" (American and Canadian football coach, 1925-)

"May I walk unceasingly on the banks of my river, may my soul repose on the branches of the trees which I planted, and may I may refresh myself under the shadow of my sycamore tree".Egyptian tomb inscription, circa 1400 AD

"We must protect the forests for our children, grandchildren and children yet to be born. We must protect the forests for those who can't speak for themselves such as the birds, other animals and the trees."Chief Edward Moody, Qwatsinas, Nuxalk Nation

"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if promontory were... Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls: it tolls for thee".John Donne, English Metaphysical poet (1572 - 1631)